Twist of Fate
by Woodsballer
Summary: For years she'd been at his side, but he could never be hers. Will she ever be able to tell him? Pikashipping Ashachu morph. ONESHOT.


**Twist of Fate**

"It has been well documented that Pokemon often develop feelings for their trainers, especially those of opposite gender and those Pokemon that have known the trainers for most of their life. Yet many do not openly display these feelings. A few that have researched this topic find that those trainers and Pokemon that begin open relationships are very often shunned by the rest of their species, even more extremely on the Pokemon side. Any Pokemon that has been marked is forced from nearly every habitat area they enter alone and are alienated from the collective whole of Pokemon."

-Taken from Chapter 11

_Human/Pokemon Relations_  
by Professor Oak

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The forest was alive with sounds of the night. Hoothoot called to each other from the trees, a brook twisted somewhere nearby, and the fire cracked with a shower of sparks. The group of four around the glowing wood sat in silence, simply enjoying the cool night.

Brock reached behind him and grabbed a small bag. "Snacks anyone?"

"Oh, I'll have one!" Max said. Brock tossed him a wrapped oat bar. "Thanks."

"Pass one here, Brock." He threw one to May.

Ash asked, "Got anything for Pikachu?" The little mouse was sitting on the log next to him, curled up into a little ball, watching the flame. Hearing its name, it lifted its head and looked at him.

"Sure do." Brock pulled out a small bag of brown pellets and threw it to Ash.

Ash caught it and took out one. Pikachu sat up with a stretch.

"It's really great that you and Pikachu are such friends," May said from across the flames.

"Yeah."

Pikachu took the piece of food while Ash gave the little mouse a scratch on the head.

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Later, Pikachu sat high on a tree branch. The limb didn't have any leaves and gave her an unobstructed view of the forest. A few miles east, some town released a glow over the horizon.

She shifted her view up into the sky. Even with the distant glow, the stars shown brightly. There was also an unusual streak slowly moving across the sky. Pikachu looked up in wonder. It was a shooting star.

She glanced down at the others. They were all asleep except for Brock, but his head was drooping as well.

She looked back up. A shooting star meant she could make a wish that could be answered by the Spirits. Her mind began to wander, looking for something she'd always wanted.

Being raised in Oak's lab, which was still very nice, she'd wanted freedom. But she had that for the most part, even if she still had to stay with Ash.

Ash.

She remembered the first time they met. She hadn't liked him at all. Of course she was just being cautious. These trainers had taken her parents. Why shouldn't she despise them? But years of being with one taught her differently. Ash was her closest friend.

To be perfectly honest, she didn't want Ash to be her friend. She needed something more. But if she came out with it, how would he react? If any of his other Pokemon found out, they'd shun her for the rest of her life.

The star passed slowly overhead. For a moment, she became lost in its beauty. According to Pokemon myth, shooting stars were spirits that had been taken from loved ones too early and came back on occasion to watch over the earth. If only she could be so free.

"Spirits above, grant my wish. Give me the chance to tell him how I truly feel."

The passing star slowly flew out, its tail growing smaller and smaller until it vanished into the night sky.

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Ash's eyes slowly opened. The sky above was a light blue with a few white wispy clouds. He pulled a leg up and kicked off his sleeping bag.

Something felt weird. He couldn't quite place it, though.

Looking around, he saw no one else was up yet. Brock was always the first up. Ash shrugged. He must have been awake late last night.

He pushed himself to his feet and began to walk towards the nearby stream. The ground seemed much closer than it used to be. But he let it go, thinking he just wasn't awake yet.

He passed between some trees and spotted the brook. After dropping to his knees, he closed his eyes and plunged his head into the water. The shock hurt his head for a moment, but it also brought him to full alertness. His mouth opened and sipped up some of the clear liquid.

That done, he came back up. While he stopped to catch his breath, his vision looked down at the water. A reflection of a Pikachu was looking back up at him. "Pikachu?" he asked, looking around. His Pokemon was nowhere around. He looked back, but sure enough, a Pikachu was on the water.

He raised an arm and waved. The Pikachu did the same. He slapped himself. The action matched in the water.

He looked over at his raised hand. Except it wasn't a hand. It was a yellow paw. He looked down at the rest of his body. It was covered in yellow fur.

His heart beat a little faster. _"This has to be a dream,"_ his mind told him. Two fingers came forward and pinched his cheek. A current of electricity pulsed threw his body and down into the ground, causing him to let out a quick gasp of pain. This couldn't be a dream.

Something moved on his rump. He twisted his head and spotted a jagged tail that twitched left and right.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The others shot up, looking around for the scream. "That sounded like Ash," May said first.

"I think it came from the stream." Brock stood and ran off, the others closely behind him.

Pikachu managed to pass all the others and break into the clearing first.

Ash was running around in a circle, screaming hysterically. "GETITOFF!GETITOFF!GETITOFF!"

Seeing the other Pikachu, she froze solid. That was Ash's voice. Had her wish come true?

Then the others came in and stopped. "Ash?"

He stopped and looked up at them. They were huge! "Guys! Something's happened! I'm a Pikachu!!!"

"Ash? Is that really you?"

"How did this happen?"

"How should I know?! I just woke up this morning and found myself like _this!"_

"Is that all bad?" Pikachu asked to herself.

But Ash heard her. "Of course it's bad, Pikachu! How am I supposed to train Pokemon if I _am_ a Pokemon? …Wait…I just understood you."

"Well, you are a Pokemon," she put back.

"Let's just calm down," Brock said. "Maybe this is only temporary. Like the last time."

"You mean this has happened before?" Max asked.

"Once. We met a Pokewitch named Lilia. A spell backfired and accidentally turned Ash into a Pikachu."

"Really?" May came in with a smile. "That's so cool!"

Ash glared up at her.

"Oh. Sorry."

"I'm sure Oak could figure out what happened." Max pulled out his tiny handheld electronic map. "The nearest town is only another day's walk from here."

"Well let's get going." Ash started to run through the trees. No one followed for a moment, so he stopped and turned back around. "Why aren't we going?"

"Uh, the town's that-a way," Max said, pointing in the other direction.

"Plus we have to get all the bags packed up," said Brock.

Ash pouted silently. "Fine. Let's just get it done quick."

Pikachu came up beside him. "Calm down, Ash. You can at least enjoy it a little. Remember how much fun we had last time?" she smiled.

"Yeah. But that's because I knew it was only temporary. I don't know how this happened or how long it will last."

Pikachu's heart fell. She knew why this was happening. And seeing Ash in such pain wasn't helping ease her either.

Then he smiled. "But yeah, I can enjoy it."

"That's the spirit!"

"You get yourself used to walking like that," Brock said as he started to head back. "We'll take care of the gear." The others followed him.

Ash started to follow them.

"Ash…"

He stopped. "Yeah, Pikachu?"

"I…" Her lips stopped. It was right there, but she couldn't say it. What would he say if he figured out she'd caused this? She let out a sigh. "My actual name's not 'Pikachu'."

"Oh. Well, that's all you've ever said, so…" He put a hand behind his head nervously.

She laughed. "No, that's only what it sounds like to you humans," she replied back. "But anyway…my real name is Teia **(tey' ah)**."

"Teia," he repeated. "That's a really nice name."

Teia blushed lightly. He couldn't see it through her already red cheeks, which she was incredibly thankful for. "Come on." She walked up to him.

He matched her stride, but his front paws slipped and he went face-first into the dirt. Teia tried to stifle her laugh, but failed miserably. Ash shook the dust from his nose and looked over at her. "Funny."

Teia finally managed to calm herself. "I'm sorry."

He stood up to his four paws and picked up first one back leg and then a front leg.

"You know, it's actually easier to just walk upright. We only go on all our legs when running."

Ash pulled himself up. "That would have been nice to know."

"And save myself that piece of comedy? No way."

Ash tried to give her a jolt, but had no clue what do to do and failed.

She saw what he tried and gave another chuckle. "And don't even _think_ about trying that yet."

"Let's just go."

Teia continued laughing to herself as they went back to the others, who had finished packing up the bedrolls and camping equipment.

-----------------

The group walked most of the day, stopping for a few hours to rest and eat a light lunch. Brock passed out sandwiches to May and Max. Ash sat next to Teia. "What about me?" he asked.

Brock eyed a sandwich in his hand, then reached down and took out the bag of Pokemon pellets. "Perhaps you'd prefer one of these?"

"Stop messing with him, Brock," May said between bites.

But Ash was now curious. He'd always wondered if they were ever any good. He took the bag and removed a single pellet. It went into his mouth slowly. It was slightly salty and not like anything he'd ever tasted. It didn't even taste particularly good, yet it had a certain appeal. Like candy corn. "Not bad." He popped the rest of it into his mouth.

After they ate, which only took another pellet to make Ash full, they let the rest of their Pokemon out for a few minutes of fresh air. Ash jumped into a group for a game of tag. After a few minutes, he was able to run on all fours with ease and could dodge all of the others except Teia, who was much more agile.

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They continued walking until just a few hours before sundown. While the others sat around and got camp set up, Ash and Teia went into the woods.

They mostly just talked. She told him all about her childhood before they'd met. Ash had never known exactly why she'd taken so long to get accustomed to him. Now it all made sense.

But also, he noticed how much his senses were improved. He could hear every crunch of grass under their paws, smell the flowers in the clearings, even heard calls from Pokemon that must have been a hundred yards away. It made him feel so alive. He could really get used to this.

After an hour of just walking circles around their camp, hidden from view by the trees, the sky began to darken. Teia saw it. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

She ran over to a tree and quickly scurried up it. Ash watched her with amazement. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Grip with your claws and don't stop running. Just trust yourself."

He dropped down and sat back into a runner's stance. With a push, he ran to the tree, leapt into the air and dug into the bark and pulled himself close. When his legs came up to the tree, he pressed them in and pushed straight upwards. Just as he rose, he reached up and grabbed the bark, pulling himself in again. He kept pushing and clutching until he stopped at the branch she had.

The task left him out of breath as he looked back down at the ground. "Awesome."

"You haven't seen anything yet." She jumped from limb to limb, climbing higher. Ash followed close behind, stopping every few limbs to gather his strength.

When he caught up to her, they were sitting on a limb very close to the top that had no leaves. The view before them was of a sun half-set over the forest, creating a reddish shade over the green trees and across the sky.

Ash stopped when the sight met his eyes. His new enhanced sight made it all the more beautify. It completely took his breath away.

Teia went to the back of the limb and sat down to lean against the trunk of the tree. "Ash, there's something I have to tell you."

"Yeah?" His eyes still lingered on the sunset.

"I…I know why this happened."

Ash spun, almost falling from the tree. "What?"

Her face fell in shame. "I caused it."

He stopped, words lost in his throat. He had no clue what to say at that moment. Instead, he simply walked up and sat down next to her. "Why?"

Teia was on the edge of tears. "I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I didn't even intend for you to become a Pokemon. But now that I look at it, this is the only way I can tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Teia felt a tear leave her eye, so she stood up to hide it from him. "To…tell you that…" She looked over the view. "I…"

"What do you want to tell me?" he asked from behind her. He placed a paw lightly on her shoulder.

"I…" Why wouldn't her mouth work?! "Oh, screw it."

She spun around and pressed her lips to his. It was not something that Pokemon do, but she knew it would get the point across.

And he did understand. Everything became so clear. Or it would have if his mind was working properly. Right then, all he felt was shock and bliss.

Teia was incredibly thankful the moment he didn't step back. So she did instead. But the moment she'd done it, she felt an incredible guilt seep into her, causing her to look away. "I love you, Ash."

He couldn't move. His mind was still reeling from the contact, but he heard every word she said.

"I've had feelings for you for a long time, but I couldn't come out about it. If I had the others would have shunned me," she confessed, the tears starting to come faster now. Ironically, now her mouth wouldn't stop working. "This was the only way I could come out about it. Pokemon to Pokemon." She took a moment to just cry silently. "Please don't hate me."

His eyes flashed up and he stepped forward. "Pika… Teia, I could never hate you. We've spent years together. Nothing, not even something like this, could tear apart what we have." Hearing these words, she turned back to him. "You're the closest friend I've ever had."

Her heart sank. This was one of her deepest fears coming true.

"Believe me, in every way but marriage, I care for you as if you were my own. I'd do anything for you, Teia."

"But you're a human and this could never work out, right?" She started to turn.

He grabbed her and forced her to look at him. "That shouldn't matter. What we are on the outside doesn't change who we are or what we feel on the inside!"

"Then why, Ash?"

Ash let his arms drop and he stepped back. She was right. He was contradicting himself.

Teia sighed. "I'm sorry. I knew this was coming and I asked for it anyway." She turned away. The sun was almost done setting by now. Only a tiny piece still sent brilliant light across the sky.

Ash looked over her. It might have been the light or something about his current form, but she did possess a certain beauty about her.

He came up behind her and put his arm around her neck. "You know, as far as the world's concerned, …I'm not human tonight."

She looked over at him, her jaw gone slack. His eyes glowed in the light of the setting sun. The warmth of it seemed to melt her face. She smiled.

Ash leaned over and licked her cheek.

The two remained together as the sun faded from sight and the blackness of the night enclosed around them with its tranquility.

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Ash woke just before dawn. Teia still slept beside him. She looked so cute. He reached down and stroked her head fur with his hand.

Hand!

His hand was back! His body was back! He was a human again!

"Teia, wake up!"

She slowly stirred and turned over, looking up at him. When she saw his face, she jumped up. "Pikapi!"

"Yeah, I'm a human again!" Ash noticed absentmindedly that he had gone back to just hearing her Pokespeach again. But somehow he could tell what she was saying.

"Ash?" Brock pushed through the bushes. "Ash! You're back to normal."

"Yeah. Looks like you were right, it was only temporary."

"Any idea about what caused it?"

"None at all," he lied.

"Weird. Well, breakfast is almost ready. You hungry?"

"Starving. Come on, Te…Pikachu." He gave her a quick wink.

"Pika." She jumped up to his shoulder. There she rode, clutching a small tuft of his hair for balance. She'd finally done it. And while it could have gone a little better, she was forever thankful she had.

The two never really spoke of that time again. But then, neither of them had to. The caring touches, the acts of kindness, the simple of act of _being_ spoke more than any other word or deed ever could.

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"And while it is very ill-advised for trainers and Pokemon to develop sexual relationships, developing strong feelings for each other is actually a vital part to any strong team. Several champion partners have stated that they at one point recognized their emotions with each other. And they claim that was the single greatest thing they could have done to create a stronger bond with each other."

-Taken from Chapter 14

_Human/Pokemon Relationships_

by Professor Oak

**A/N: Thank you very much for reading. Please don't forget to leave your reviews on the way out.**


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